Monday, December 24, 2012

Christmas is incomplete without..

Christmas Fruit Cake
a Fruit Cake,of course.I've had an overload of Fruit cakes here last week and I was worried if you guys saw another title for Christmas Fruit Cake,you wouldn't read it after all!

Like they say,I saved the best for the last.Last 3 years,I've been baking this cake and every time I bake it,I think I shouldn't restrict baking this during Christmas,but some recipes are special and should be recreated only when the occasion demands.
Christmas Fruit Cake
I am reposting the recipe here along with the step by step procedures.Hope you enjoyed the Christmas specials and are planning a big spread for your Christmas meal.
                                           (image source)

Christmas Fruit and Nut Cake

Ingredients


Flour – 2 cups
Baking Powder – ½ tsp
Dry Fruits – 1 cup (figs, apricots, dates, raisins, currants and sultanas), chopped
Candied Peel – ¼ cup
Tutti Fruity – ¼ cup
Mixed Nuts – ½ cup(Walnuts, Cashews, Almonds), chopped
Dark Rum – 1 cup (optional - you could use 2 tbsp Lime Juice to soak the dry fruits)
Light Brown Sugar – 1 ¼ cup
Eggs - 4
Oil – ¾ cup[I used 175 gms butter]
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon Powder – 1 tsp


Christmas Fruit Cake-ingredients 
For the Caramel


Sugar – ½ cup
Boiling Hot Water – ¾ cup


Method
Christmas Fruit Cake Method 
Soak the dry fruits, candied peel and tutti fruiti along with the cinnamon powder and cloves in 2/3 cup rum for anywhere between 24 hours and 1 year. (I soaked them for 3 days.) Do remember to remove the cloves before using the fruits.

Christmas Fruit Cake Method 

When you are ready to bake the cake, start by making the caramel. In a heavy bottomed pan, place the ½ cup of sugar and heat slowly. The sugar will begin to melt. Stir this mixture with a spoon slowly as the caramel forms. When all the sugar crystals have melted, slowly add the boiling water and stir to form a smooth mixture. Cool this completely.

Christmas Fruit Cake Method 

Sift the flour along with the baking powder. 

Christmas Fruit Cake Method 
In a mixing bowl, add the oil/butter, eggs and brown sugar and beat well. 

Christmas Fruit Cake Method 
To this, add the flour mixture, the fruits and the nuts by turns. Whisk well and then add the cooled caramel.[I added the caramel along with the fruits and nuts]

Christmas Fruit Cake Method 

Grease and line two 8 inch baking tins(I halved the recipe and used a 6 cup bundt tin for this cake) and divide the batter between the two. 
Bake at 190 C/375 F for about 50 minutes.
Christmas Fruit Cake
When baked, make small slits in each cake and pour the remaining rum over them. While this cake is delicious straight out of the oven, try storing it for a week before consuming it. (To do this, wrap the cake in foil and then cover it with cling film.) This cake ages beautifully.

27 comments :

  1. Merry Christmas. Wishing done now pass me the cake. :)

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  2. Happy Christmas... Love the cake and the small red flowers...
    http://recipe-excavator.blogspot.com

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  3. woww.. this fruit cake looks just so yummy.. You are inspiring me to make one of my own.. I should do that I think :) Thanks for sharing the recipe gal..

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  4. Merry christmas. This fruit and nut cake looks awesome. It has unique shape too.

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  5. Merry christmas to you. cake looks fab.

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  6. Very delicious and inviting chrisrmas cake..

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  7. Divya merry Christmas. Can we have this cake without eggs.

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  8. Divya merry Christmas. Can we have this cake without eggs.

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    Replies
    1. Here's an eggless version I'd posted a while back - http://www.divyascookbook.com/2009/12/eggless-fruit-and-nut-cake.html

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  9. Looks awesome Divya, I made something very similar eggless...:)

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  10. Nice cake Divya! Merry Xmas to you :)

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  11. wow!!! love love love, the cake and the step by step description.

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  12. wow.awesum presentation..perfectly doen..BTW if possible plz visit mine n plz chjeck out my new FB page dear.Hope u vl

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  13. Lovely presentation . I baked my first fruit cake only this year & I'm hooked to it now. I can't wait till next year to again do the soaking and baking all over again.

    Happy New Year to you!

    Regards,
    Manju
    http://manjuseatingdelights.blogspot.com/

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  14. That looks delicious. Lovely texture too!

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  15. dpls let me know if i am soaking the fruits in lime juice wen shud i soak it.if so can i keep the soaked fruits long days?shud i refrigerate the soaked fruits. pls reply sooooon....

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    Replies
    1. I have not tried soaking the fruits in Lime/Orange juice myself.But if you do so,the soaked fruits should be refrigerated immediately.I think 2-3 days should do the trick.

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  16. sorry to tell u divyaaa u blogerrs shud atleast try to rply to the queries....i hav seen very few bloggers like maria of( marias menu)replying to the queries asked by followers. if u cant reply then what is the neeed of this comment box. i know i am bit rude i dont want to hurt u...but i am telling the truth.

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    Replies
    1. I have replied to 'these' kind of comments a while back.If there is anything you want 'immediate' reply to,I have given my mail-id with which you can reach me instantly,or you could post your query in the facebook page which I check at least 4-5 times a day.Comment box is more of a feedback/discussion thing and I am sorry if I do not match your expectations of 'how a food blogger should behave':)

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  17. hi divyaaa..ithink u had misunderstood me.my intention was not to hurt u,but just to point out the "matter".if it hurts u" I AM REALLY SORRY "from deep my heart.i had seen many queries which r unanswered.U know there r many indian women who doesnt know how to mail...or who doesnt hav an fb account for them ur feedback in commentbox will b more helpful.let it b late than never.and one more thing i am a person who regularly visit(may b 2 to 3 times a day) ur blog. i am just a wellwisher of u. hop u will take this comment positively.and SORRY once more

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for letting me know.I just wish I had enough time to respond to every query I get on the blog.I do try to respond to every one but I am no superwoman and some questions get drowned in the sea of comments.That is why I suggested mailing the queries so that I can directly respond to the person involved.Same goes with facebook page.Will look into rectifying this matter.

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  18. hi divya..... SORRY .My intention was not to hurt u ,but point out the "matter".i dont hav any personal 'dushmani' with u.but i am a wellwisher of u.There r many queries which r unanswered by u.And u know in there r indian womens who doesnt hav an mail id or fb account now also.it will b helpful to them if u answer through ur comment box. hop u will take this comment postively.I want to let u know that iam one among who visit ur blog atleast 3 times a day. and really i am SORRY if i hurt u

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  19. Hi Divya,

    I am planning to bake this cake and take it for my parents when I visit them , so what exactly is a cling film which you have mentioned at the end of your recipe? Also when you say , line the baking pan does that mean just sprinkling flour/sugar? I have totally new to the baking world and not familiar with many terms yet..:)

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    Replies
    1. Lining the pan is either greasing the pan with butter first and then dusting the pan with flour OR cut a foil/butter paper to the size of the pan,apply some butter and line the pan with it.Cling film is just like aluminium foil,used to lock in moisture and flavour.

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    2. Thank you so much:)

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A blog is not complete without the readers feedback.Please let me know how you liked my post.Thank you so much for visiting my blog.

Love,
Divya.

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